


Broken

by HonestlyAfraid



Series: Cliche Love [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys' Love, Broken, Cliche, Cute, Depression, Domestic Violence, Eventual Romance, Gay, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medication, Suicidal Thoughts, Trauma, Violence, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:27:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25972123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HonestlyAfraid/pseuds/HonestlyAfraid
Summary: Sheo Kaze is just trying to make it through high school so he can escape and never look back.And trust him when he says there are a lot of things he doesn't want to look back on. Things like his abusive father, who happens to be the town pasture, the vulgar football team. His feelings for a certain football player. His own mind.Jack Rhone is trying to be the best football player and most popular freshman ever. He's also hiding something, or perhaps several somethings.When the two are thrown together and feelings are uncovered both will be left, Broken.
Series: Cliche Love [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885069
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

I was shoved harshly against the locker, and the sounds of laughter filled my ears.   
“Hey faggot,” someone called. I rolled my eyes.   
“You guys are so original,” I declared with another lazy roll of my sunken eyes.   
“Excuse me?” asked Larimer, he was the wide receiver of the school's football team. He was an ass, just like the rest of the team. Okay, I’m wrong, there were like two boys on the team that were not total assholes. One would be Jack Rhone, the quarterback, and the other would be Carter Shipe, the nose guard. Both boys were nowhere to be seen.   
“I said, you guys are original,” I repeated with a smirk. Larimer grabbed my shirt and hauled me forward only to hurl me back against the lockers. The bruises on my shoulders complained at the mistreatment.   
“Come on guys, leave ‘em alone,” a weary voice called.   
“Shut up, Jack,” Larimer shouted over his shoulder. I peered under Larimer’s arm at the muscular quarterback. He’s just as hot as always, with his black hair and sharp jawline. “Stop looking at him like that. He’s not a homosexual, and even if he was he wouldn’t go for a loser like you.” Larimer snickered at James’, the hiker’s, comment. I scoffed.   
“I’m pretty sure if he was a homosexual I could persuade him to be mine.” I winked at Jack when our eyes met. He glared harshly at me.   
“Move, Larimer,” he demanded, stepping up to us. Larimer smirked and backed away. Jack took Larimer’s place in front of me. He gripped my collar and I released a quivering breath.  
“Awe, Jack, if you wanted to wrinkle my clothes I can think of so many better ways,” I grinned and flinched when his crystal blue eyes darkened.   
“I’m not even going to ask what a broken shit like you means by that,” he grumbled.   
“What part of me is ‘broken’? The nerd part, maybe the gay, or the-” I never got to finish as I was suddenly slammed against the lockers again.   
“Shut your mouth before I make you,” he growled.   
“Kinky,” I muttered, grimacing when he thrust my body harshly against the locker again.   
“Shut. Up.”   
“Right,” I nodded and smacked my lips together. He glared down at me before hastily releasing me and moving to walk down the hall. The others on the team snickered and walked off as well, a few even leaving a few comments on my sexuality. I slumped down and reached a hand back to massage at the throbbing bruises on my shoulders. I hated high school, and it had only just begun.   
“Sheo,” a familiar voice called and footsteps swiftly approached me.   
“Hey, Rourke,” I greeted half-heartedly.   
“Are you alright?” my best friend, Rourke, asked. I looked up at him and smirked.   
“Just dandy.” he lifted his hands, a smile coming to his plump, crimson lips.   
“There is no need for you to get feisty,” he chuckled. I rolled my eyes and pushed myself back up, now standing just over Rourke’s height of 5’0. “You maintain practice tonight,” he stated after a moment.   
“When don’t I have practice?” I asked, side glancing the boy.   
“Precisely, you have the game that your girls must perform at tonight, do you not?”  
“Don’t say it like that,” I hated when he called the cheerleaders ‘my girls’. It made it sound like I was some pervert straight guy forcing girls to perform for other pervert guys. Then again, the way Rourke spoke to piss people off made a lot of things sound a lot worse than they really were.  
“You did not confirm nor deny my statement,” he reminded me. I sighed.  
“Yes, the cheerleaders have to perform at the game tonight.” he nodded.   
“How has being the assistant coach been for you?” he asked, his voice turning bored.   
“It’s great, I just wish there were some cute boys on the team.” I sighed wistfully. “But, getting to see the football and basketball team mostly makes up for it. Most of the guys on those teams are h.o.t.” I fanned myself dramatically to get my point across. Rourke rolled his eyes.   
“That is true, there are some very fine specimens on both sports teams,” Rourke nodded. I smirked.   
See, Rourke was pan, but neither of us have ever harbored feelings for one another. We had been friends since grade school and had come out to each other on the same day. It was actually quite comical. A lopsided smirk rose to my lips as I remembered that day.  
...  
Rourke looked up at me as he slouched against the wall of my house.   
“I have to tell you something,” I mumbled.   
“Then say it,” he said with a shrug.   
“I don’t want it to ruin our friendship,” he rolled his eyes.  
“I don’t think there’s anything you could say that could ruin our friendship.”   
“Okay, I’m, um, I’m gay.” I bowed my head, ready for the sound of disgust to bubble from his throat. But it never came. I slowly looked back up into his silver eyes. “Please say something,” I begged when the silence spread out between us for far too long.   
“Why would I care if you are gay? As long as you do not harbor feelings for me, I do not care.”  
“What?” I asked, genuine confusion taking over my thoughts.   
“I am omnisexual if I judged you for being gay that would be, in some sense, hypocritical. So, as long as you do not like me, I do not care about your sexual preference.” I gaped up at him.   
“Y-you’re pan?”   
“Yes, you did not know this?” his brows furrowed in confusion.  
\-   
I laughed to myself a little at the memory. Now that I think about it, Rourke’s being pan was pretty obvious.   
“Are you coming to the game tonight?” I suddenly asked.   
“Yes, I will be there.” he nods and begins to walk towards the doors. “Am I to assume you will need a ride once the game has finished?” he asked.  
“Yup,” I smiled and pushed the doors, open, glaring at the overly bright sun.   
“I will see you then,” he informs me as he begins to walk away from me and towards the parking lot. I sighed and made my way to the track, looking for Coach Mary.   
“Sheo,” someone called behind me. I turned to look into emerald eyes. Khat smirked at me and grabbed my arm. “You’re late, Sheo. Coach Mary is not happy,” she informed me.   
“I’m sorry, I had a date with your boyfriend.” she scrunched her eyebrows together before letting out a shrill laugh.   
“I take it Larimer is giving you a hard time again?” I nodded and she giggled. “He’s an idiot, ignore him.” she waved her hand around as if that would drive her point.   
“Good, you found him,” came the irritated voice of the cheerleader coach, Coach Mary. I looked up at the slim woman and gave a small smile.   
“I’m so sorry I’m late, I had a little run-in with the boys of the football team.” she rolled her eyes and turned to Khat.   
“Go join the others with warm-ups,” she demanded. Khat gave a mock salute to me before jogging off to join the other cheerleaders in doing stretches.


	2. Chapter 2

I sighed as I watched the game, it seemed as if our team was going to win again. We were up two with five minutes left on the clock. The cheerleaders seemed on edge, waiting for their sure to come victory cheer. Jack ran towards the other end and tossed the ball down, clearly getting us a touchdown. I started at the clock, willing the buzzer to scream that the game was over. I had a headache and just wanted to go home and eat something fatty. The buzzer screeched to life and the crowd cheered, as we had won. I gave a few half-hearted cheers and watched as the cheer squad began their victory cheer. They all seemed happy enough, as did the guys. My eyes landed on the black-haired quarterback. He had a large smile plastered to his tan face and his crystal eyes were screaming with excitement. As if sensing my staring he turned and looked over at me. His smile widened a fraction and a wink was thrown my way. My jaw dropped to the grass. Clearly I had imagined that. I shook my head and made my way to the cheerleaders, who were still celebrating their win.   
“Sheo, are you coming with us to the victory dinner?” Khat called once I got within her sight.   
“No, I’m gonna head home,” I called back. She looked at me in shock.  
“No way, you’re coming with us!” she exclaimed. I shook my head.   
“I really shouldn’t,” I mumbled.   
“I don’t care, you’re coming.” I sighed and stumbled forward, accepting my fate.   
“Fine,” I yelled. Khat bounced in place.   
“Sweet!” I rolled my eyes, this was going to be a long night. “You can ride with Larimer, Jack, and I!” I nodded.   
“Okay, I need to find my ride and let him know he can go home without me,” she nodded and I turned to go towards the exit. I pushed through people and searched around for Rourke. When I spotted him I called out his name, waving when he heard me.   
“Is everything alright?” he questioned.   
“I’m being forced to go to the dinner thing, so you can go home without me.” he nodded.   
“Have fun, then.” I gave a fake smile.   
“Yes, because hanging out with a bunch of assholes is definitely my idea of fun,” I snarked. Rourke snorted and waved me off, moving towards the parking lot. I sighed and went back to the field looking for Khat. In my search, I didn’t notice a pair of broad shoulders and a rock hard chest enter my line of sight. I ran into them with an oof.   
“Sorry, didn’t see you there” I mumbled as I pulled myself up. Jack sighed and glared down at me.   
“I don’t know how you couldn’t see me, I’m like twice your height,” he grumbled.   
“Don’t be an ass, I apologized.” He rolled his eyes with a drawn-out sigh. “Anyways, have you seen Khat, I’m supposed to ride with her to the dinner thing.”   
“You’re riding with Khat?” his voice sounded exasperated.   
“Yeah, she wouldn’t let me off the hook of not going,” I shrugged.   
“Ugh, just follow me then, we’re all in her car.” I smiled.   
“Thanks for the help!” he gave a fed-up look before turning to stalk away. “Hey, question,”  
“What?”   
“How’d the star quarterback manage to sneak away unnoticed?” he glared down at me.  
“I ran to the locker rooms, changed and threw a beanie on. No one knows it’s me,” I snorted.   
“Yeah, because the broad shoulders, rock hard chest, overbearing height, and pitch-black hair totally don’t give you away.” I snarked.   
“Shut up,” his voice was teasing. I smiled up at him, taking in the view. His crystal eyes snapped down to meet my own amber ones and a light blush rose to my pale cheeks. We walked in silence for a few minutes before someone called out to us, bouncing in place to get our attention. I quickly rushed up to Khat and stood next to her to wait for Jack to get to us. He almost looked disappointed, but that’s ridiculous. I calmly shook it off and got in the back seat with him where we drove in silence to the restaurant.


	3. Chapter 3

I sighed for the millionth time that night. Why had I agreed to do this again?  
Oh right, Khat said it’d be fun and that I had no choice.  
My eyes slowly wandered back to the place they had been resting for most of the night, Jack’s face. I think I had learned more about his face in the past three hours then I have in the past three years.   
Things I have noticed:   
He has a large freckle on the left side of his face just under his bottom lip.   
His right eye is a darker shade of blue than the left  
When he smiles he shows his teeth but covers it with a hand  
When he laughs he cocks his head slightly to either side  
He has a ring on his pinky finger that has a jewel that he wears facing the inside  
He’s fake  
I know that sounds rude, but, it’s true. I know that look in his eyes, he’s faking it all. That smile isn’t real, nor is that laugh. I have to give him props, he is a good actor. He has everyone around him fooled. As I continue to watch I notice his eyes twitch to my own for a brief second, his lips quirking up to the side slightly before it’s over. Fast enough that I’m not entirely sure it happened. Did I imagine that? I wonder to myself as I sit back in my seat. I shake my head, Of course you imagined it. Why would he smile at you? You’re nothing but a pathetic loser! The voice in my head shouts, causing me to lift my hand and place it to my temple, adding the slightest of pressure.   
“Hey Khat?” her eyes snap to mine for a moment.   
“Hey what?” she mocks before giggling.   
“Can you take me home? I don’t feel well,” I close my eyes for a second, laying it on the table for a moment as my vision sways slightly. When I’m sure I can look at her without blurred eyes, I lift my head again, waiting for her response.   
“Yeah, are you okay?” I nod jerkily and wait for her to stand before standing myself, gripping the side of the table to balance myself at the sudden change. “I’m heading out. If anyone is riding with me then lets roll,” Jack and Larimer stood, wishing a fair well to everyone and congratulating them on their win before following Khat out. I waited for them to get a bit away before following them. My head began to throb lightly as I stepped outside, causing me to stumble slightly over a piece of uneven concrete. Strong arms wrapped around my shoulders and steadied me.   
“-okay?”   
I looked up at the muffled person and let out a confused, “huh?”  
“I asked if you were okay,” they repeated. My lips formed in a silent ‘oh’ and I nodded. The person sighed and lead me to Khat’s car before pushing me inside. I threw my head back and closed my eyes, trying to take in deep breaths. Soft breaths began to fan against my ear, drawing my attention.   
“Sheo, are you sure you’re okay?” a deep voice purred.   
“Fine, just haven’t taken my meds,” I replied on a yawn.   
“Meds?” they asked their voice slightly further from me.   
“Yeah, they help with my ‘issues’,” I rolled my eyes behind my lids, doing air quotes around the word issues. Or did I? “Did I do that?” I asked aloud.   
“Do what?” the voice asked.   
“Quotes,” a confused sound was released from their lips. “Air quotes,” I clarified before wrapping my arms around my body, trying to stave off the sudden chill creeping up my body. A warm hand gently touched my shoulder before I was being pulled into a solid chest. I nuzzled into it and took a deep breath, absorbing their scent.   
7\. He smells like orange cream  
I could feel my body beginning to fall into a light slumber, which is odd considering I have trouble sleeping.   
…  
When I woke up it was to someone gently shaking me.   
“Sheo,” they whispered. Khat and Jack both peered at me. I yawned and looked to Khat with sleepy eyes.   
“Sorry for falling asleep. Thank you for taking me home. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I waved to her before opening my door and stumbling to the front door, unlocking it and slipping inside.   
“Where have you been?”a deep voice growled from the living room.   
“There was a party to celebrate the football teams win that I got invited to,” I explained to my Father. He glared at me for a moment before motioning me over.   
“And you didn’t ask me?” he snapped when I got to him. He harshly shoved me to my knees before him and stood. “It seems I’m going to have to punish you for bad behavior again,” he tsked as he removed his belt. I bowed my head and pulled my shirt off, waiting for the hits to come. The first was aimed at a bruise that had just formed from my previous punishment. I whimpered lightly and bit my lip to keep those noises inside. I didn’t want to anger my Father any more than I already had. The next hit from the belt was just over my belly button, leaving a harsh crack to fill the air. I flinched at the pain and instantly regretted it as three more hits hit me in quick succession. “Turn,” he ordered, to which I instantly obliged. Hits began to rain down on my shoulders, cutting the flesh open slightly. “You’re such a bad boy. If you could just be a good boy I wouldn’t have to do this. Go take your medicine and go to bed,” I nodded and stood, gathering my shirt and scurrying off to my room. Once inside I popped open my medicine holder and threw all of them into my mouth, swallowing them dry. After I removed my pants I gently layed down on my stomach and closed my eyes, willing sleep to take me away from this pain.


	4. Chapter 4

My alarm screamed in my ear, drawing me from my fragile sleep. I groaned and pushed myself up and off the bed. I quietly slipped into the bathroom to take a quick shower, to wash away the blood from my back and clean out the cuts. I hissed in pain as the hot water hailed onto the tender cuts, seeping like acid into their shallow depths. I sighed and got out of the bathtub, tenderly wrapping a towel around my prominent hips, waddling back to my room. A creak from behind me made me freeze.   
“Sheo,” it began.   
“Yes?” I squeaked.   
“You understand why I did that, right?” I nodded. “And you know I love you, right? You’re not going to leave me?” I could hear the tears in his voice.   
“I’m not going anywhere, Father,” his arms wrapped around me. I held in another hiss of pain as his clothes rubbed against the cuts.   
“I love you, please be good so I don’t have to keep doing this to you.”   
“I’ll try,” I promised. His arms were removed from me and my body was suddenly flying towards the ground. I knew better than to try and catch myself, so I let my face smash into the floor.   
“I’m sorry Father, I’ll try harder and be good,” he scoffed and kicked me in my ribs before walking away from me. I waited a few minutes before getting up and running into my room, getting dressed and taking my pills before rushing out of the house to the bus stop. I tapped my foot as I waited for the yellow machine to pull up and harbor us inisde its metal walls. As the door opened, I sighed. I waited for the rest of the people at the stop to get on before slinking up the stairs and the first completely empty seat, resting my head on the window. A few stops passed before someone slid into the seat next to my own. I kept silent, not even wanting to know who had sat next to me.   
“Hey,” a familiar voice spoke. I slowly swung my head to face Jack, giving him a lazy stare.   
“Hi,” I grumbled, not even bothering with a snarky comment.   
“Are you alright after last night?” he whispered. My face scrunched up in confusion.   
“What are you talking about?” I asked blankly. He shakes his head.   
“Never mind,” we lapse into silence for a few more stops. I turned to stare blankly out the window, getting lost in the random thoughts that filtered in and out of my mind.   
“What happened to your face?” I jumped slightly at the sudden inquiry.   
“Huh?” he chuckled before slowly running his finger over my lip.   
“What happened to your face? It looks like your boyfriend did a number on you,” I snorted.   
“Right,” I rolled my eyes.   
“What?” he smiled, not the one with all the teeth and the hands, but a gentle lopsided one.   
“Me, have a boyfriend? Not possible. What is it Larimer always says? Oh yeah, no one would ever want my broken ass,” Jack gave me a look.   
“Don’t listen to Larimer, he’s an idiot.” I gaped at Jack for a moment. “You’re cute enough to get any guy you want,” I snorted again.   
“No I can’t,” the bus pulled to a stop and kids around us began to get up and exit the bus. I eyed them, my eyes flicking over their faces as they left before landing on the shocked ones of Jack. Slowly, he stood and jogged down the stairs of the bus. I shook my head, pushing the look on his face from my mind's eyes, focusing on getting through the day. Khat jumped up to me, a huge smile plastered to her face.   
“You did something,” she gossiped. For the second time that day my face scrunched up in confusion.   
“Normally I take Jack to school, but today he said he was going to take the bus,” she waggled her eyebrows at me.   
“So?” I prompted.   
“So! That means he was trying to meet up with someone. Someone being you!”   
“Nope,” I instantly shut her down.   
“There is no way Jack Rhone will ever like me.” she gave me an exasperated look.   
“You’re an idiot,” she mumbled as she fiddled with the straps of her clear backpack. I rolled my eyes and let the topic drop.   
“Loser!” someone shouts from behind me. “What the fuck did you do?!” they scream into my ear. I flinch away from the loud noise and look up into Larimer’s eyes.   
“What are you talking about?” I deadpan.   
“Jack, what did you do to him?” I sigh and choose not to answer him, hoping Khat will distract him.   
“Baby,” she whines, instantly grabbing his attention. He stops in his tracks and pulls her into his arms. I roll my eyes at the display and speed walk away from them and into the school. I duck around chatting students to get to my locker. A lone figure is lounging against it, texting on his phone.   
“Move,” I demand, already knowing who it is.   
“Rude,” he replies.   
“Sorry, bad morning,” he grumbled something before kicking something at me. I dip my head slightly to see it’s a bag from my favorite pastry shop, Creams n Flakes. I smile at him and dig around in my locker for my books.   
“I love you sometimes,” I declare as I pick up the bag once I found the books I need, shoving them into my bag. I peer inside to find two chocolate-covered croissants, one jelly-filled donut, and a slice of chocolate cake.   
“Do not make such declarations, people might get the wrong idea,” he says nonchalantly.   
“What’s it matter? It’s not like either of us have or will be getting a significant other any time soon.”   
“Speak for yourself,” he grunts before spinning on a heel and walking away.   
“Weirdo,” I mumble to myself as I bite into one of the croissants. The bell shrills into the hallway and I dodge my way to first hour.


	5. Chapter 5

Eight and a half agonizing hours later the final bell was releasing us from our personal hell.  
“Weekend,” I sighed to myself with a satisfied grin. As long as I stayed out of trouble this weekend should be a good one. I slipped out of my last class and towards my locker. With my back turned I entered the code, not expecting to be slammed into. A gasp of air slipped, making a small noise, succeeding in capturing the person's attention. Not what I wanted.   
“Larimer, you ass!” Jack yelled before turning to me. “Sor-”  
“It’s fine,” I cut him off. I could feel his eyes on me as he sat against the locker next to mine instead of leaving.   
“You’re bleeding,” he whispered. My eyes widened and I instantly spun to hide my back. The cuts must have opened when he slammed into me. “Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes wide.   
“Fine, fine,” I waved him off. Forgetting about the locker, I took off towards the changing room. I guess I was going to be late to practice. Again. I sighed as I pulled my shirt off and inspected the blood on the it.   
“Fuck,” I spun around to once more find a wide-eyed Jack starring at me. I covered my chest as best I could with the shirt, bowing my head. Quick footsteps approached me, followed by warm hands pulling my arms away from my body.   
“What happened to you?” he breathed. I shrugged. “Who did this to you?” he asked with a little more force, making me flinch in his grasp. “Is someone at home abusing you?” My eyes widened and my head snapped up.   
“No,” I shouted a little too loudly. “No,” I repeated in a softer tone. Jack let go of one hand to run his own through his hair and I wrapped my newly freed arm around my exposed body.   
“Shit, Sheo, whatever is going on isn’t good,” his eyes met mine again, genuine concern written in their bluish plains.   
“It’s fine, don’t worry about me,” I slipped my other hand from his shockingly tight grasp and turned to get to my gym locker.   
“Shit,” he cursed behind me. “Sheo,” he whispered beginning to approach me again.   
“Stop,” his footsteps froze. “Why are you acting as if you care? Some of these bruises were caused by you and your friends,” I growled lowly as I began to put another shirt on, forgetting about the blood.   
“Don’t ruin another shirt,” he muttered completely evading my statements. I sighed and threw the shirt back into the locker, trudging to the shower stalls. Jack followed me.   
“What, are you secretly gay and want to see my dick?” I snarked, trying to put out my normal atmosphere. Jack chuckled.   
“You’re a little cocky,” he played along. I threw a wink over my shoulder before grimacing, realizing what the situation we were in was. I shucked my pants off before stepping into the stall and my underwear came off once I closed the curtain. I turned the water on and hissed as the frozen water brushed against the reopened cuts. I stood there for a few minutes, hoping maybe Jack would leave. I shut the water off and peeked around the curtain to see Jack playing on his phone. I sighed and reached for my towel, the one I had left in my locker.   
“Jack?” I whispered, causing his gaze to snap up to meet my own.   
“Yeah?”   
“Can you get my towel from my locker, I forgot to grab it,” a lopsided smirk appeared on his face, mischief clear in his eyes.  
“For all your talk I’m surprised you don’t just strut out here with everything on full display for your crush,” I snorted.   
“As if, even if I was confident enough to do something like that, no one would want to see what’s down there.” Jack gave me a look, one I knew well from Khat.   
“Just walk out, we’re both guys and I’m not gonna tell anyone if you’ve got a small wang,” I sighed, clearly he wasn’t going to help. I grabbed my underwear and pants, holding them in front of me protectively before leaving the stall.   
“What’s on your thigh?” Jack asked, causing me to pause in my journey back to my locker.   
“None of your business,” I stated, rolling my eyes and stalking past him to my lockers. I pulled out my towel and began to dry myself off, my back to Jack.   
“You should really tell someone if something isn’t right at home,”   
“There’s nothing wrong at home so there’s nothing to tell.” I snapped, spinning around to glare at him.   
“Clearly there is if you’re coming to school with cuts and bruises!” he roared back.   
“What if those bruises and cuts are from you and your friend's bullying?!” I hollered.   
“Nothing the boys do could cut you like that, those are the cuts of a belt,”   
“How would you know?!” I whispered with the same angry fire in my voice just at a lower volume.   
“Because my dad used to beat me with his belt until my stomach and chest looked just like your back,” I stared at him in shock, not comprehending what he was saying. He stepped towards me and pulled his shirt off, exposing white scars all over his torso. Without thinking I reached out and ran a finger over a few of the scars. His hand grabbed my wrist gently, keeping me from pulling away.   
“You’re coming to my house tomorrow, Khat will pick you up.” he released me, turned on a heel and left. I gaped at his empty spot before shaking my head, finishing the drying process, and slipping back into my clothes. I ran out to the field to watch practice. Coach Mary glared at me as I approached.   
“If you continue to be late I will cut you,” she threatened. I gave her an apologetic look. She clapped her hands, drawing the attention of the girls, who all swamped around her. “You all did a nice job last night, but there are a few things we need to change about the routine-” I tuned Coach out as she began to blabber on about what the girls would be working on that day. A small finger jabbed me in the ribs, forcing me to jump away in shock.   
“Jumpy,” Khat giggled.   
“Khat, can I ask you a question?” she nodded, “How are you and Jack related?” she raised a blonde eyebrow at me.   
“Jack’s my little brother,” she explained. I nodded with my lips formed in a silent oh. Coach clapped her hands again and Khat skipped off to do whatever it was Coach had been rambling on about a few moments ago. I sighed as I watched practice go on, waiting for the time when I could slip off with Khat home.


	6. Chapter 6

I waved to Khat from my front door before slipping inside and to my room. Father was still at work, so I had about two hours to think of how to ask to go to Jack’s. The only friend's house I was ever really allowed to go to was Rourke’s. Crap, Rourke, I forgot to tell him I caught a ride with Khat. I quickly pulled my phone out and wrote up an apology text to Rourke, explaining everything. I waited with bated breath for his response, which came in a few minutes later.   
A single thumbs-up emoji. I shook my head and tossed my phone aside before collapsing back on my bed, not even bothering to roll over to release the pressure on my back.   
…  
A shaky sigh left my lips as I heard the front door close, I slowly got off my bed and wandered out to the living room.   
“Good evening Father, how was your day?” I asked. He sighed and removed his robe and clerical collar. He plopped into his chair and looked up at me.   
“My day went well, how was yours?” he replied, keeping the casual conversation running.   
“It was okay,” I nodded.   
“Take a seat,” I did as I was told, sliding into the couch across from him. “You look as if there’s something on your mind,” he prompts.   
“Yes, I have a group project that’s due on Monday and one of my group members offered to host us at his house Saturday to get the project done. Is it okay if I go?” my Father seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding.   
“I suppose if it’s for a project,” I smiled.   
“Thank you, Father,” he nodded.  
“What are we having for dinner tonight?” he asked, changing the subject.   
“I was thinking of making lemon parmesan chicken,” he nodded again, “But I’m going to have to go to the store to pick up some ingredients.” Father pulled out his wallet and handed me two twenties.   
“Receipt and change, no snacks because you were a bad boy last night,” I took the money.   
“Of course, thank you, Father,” I smiled at him and placed the money in my pocket before going to my room to get my shoes. I put them on and stood to leave. My Father blocked my path. He opened his arms to me and I stepping into his embrace. He hugged me tight, aggravating the bruises and cuts slightly, but I made no noise to show him this.   
“You’re being such a good boy,” he whispered before releasing me to go on my way. I walked calmly through the neighborhood and to the cute little grocery store that sat about four miles away. I waved to a cashier who smiled at me and went into the produce section. I picked up two lemons, placing them in a bag. I moved to the meat section and grabbed a package of two chicken breasts. I turned and skipped down the seasoning aisle, there I grabbed a thing of thyme, garlic powder, and basil. Once I was sure I had everything I slid up to the nice cash register lady that smiled at me when I entered.   
“Good evening, I hope you found everything okay?” I nodded and smiled at her. She scanned my items and read off the price. “15.37 is your total,” I nodded and pulled out one of the two twenties, handing it to her. “Out of twenty, perfect, you change is four dollars and sixty-three cents.” she handed me the money and I pushed it into my pocket, grabbing my bag and letting it clump against my thigh.   
“Have a nice day,” she called.   
“And the same to you,” I replied, waving as I exited the building. I hummed to myself as I made my way back home. By the time I reached the front door my legs burned from the long walk. I gently nudged the door open and set the groceries on the table. I then fished the money from my pocket and handed it to my Father along with the receipt.   
“Good boy,” he patted my cheek with a proud smile. “Now, go make dinner,” I nodded and went back to the kitchen, preparing the seasoning before covering the chicken in it and setting it to cook on medium heat in a skillet. I popped a bit of butter and olive oil into the pot with the seasoned chicken and began to wait for it to cook.   
After a few minutes and a few other steps to be done as the chicken cooks, I plated the food and brought it to the table. I returned to the table and got out four glasses, two for water, one for my Father’s wine and one for my soda. I pause before getting a soda out.   
“Father, may I have a soda?” I asked, pocking my head out of the kitchen doorway.   
“No, you’re still in trouble for last night, only water.”  
“Yes, Father,” I put the soda and fourth cup away before bringing the water cups out, followed by the water holder and whine bottle and whine cup. I waited behind my chair for my Father to sit first, following suit when he gestured me to. I poured out water for both of us and a bit of whine for my Father. He smiled and thanked me and forked a bit of the chicken, placing the bite in his mouth.   
“This is good,” he commented.   
“Thank you, Father.” I bowed my head and pulled a bit of the chicken onto my fork and put it in my mouth. When dinner was finished I thanked my Father for dining with me and took the dishes to the kitchen to wash them. When the task was finished I seeped into my room and plopped on my stomach on my bed, beginning to doze out of conciseness. I lifted my head, needing to take my pills, change, and brush my teeth before I fell asleep. I did such and sunk back into the bed, promptly falling into a lifeless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

When I awoke it was to my phone blaring in my ear. I groggily reached out for it, trying to turn the blasted thing off.   
“You had better be up, Sheo, I’m outside,” a female voice threatened. I sat confused for a moment before realizing that Jack had invited me over. I jumped from the bed and speedily changed into a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a short-sleeved black shirt. I shoved my shoes on and took my pills dry before rushing out of my room.   
“I’m leaving Father,” he nodded at me.   
“Be home tonight, you have church tomorrow,” I nodded, gave him a quick hug, and jogged out to Khat’s car.   
“Took you long enough,” she remarked. I scratched the back of my neck and apologized.   
“I think your phone died or something,” I gave her a confused look, which prompted her to continue. “The call cut off halfway through your mad dash,” I nodded in understanding and looked at the phone still in my hand, confirming it was, in fact, dead.   
The drive to Khat’s house was silent aside from the radio playing. I tapped my finger in time with the beat as I waited for her to pull into one of the many houses, she finally chose one that was a light blue in color with white trim and white stairs. She parked in the drive and got out of the car. I followed suit, trailing after her into the house. A woman with curly brown hair sat on the couch, typing on her computer.   
“Welcome back,” she greeted Khat.   
“Thanks, mom,” she said with a smile at the woman. “Jack is upstairs, the last door straight ahead,” the woman Khat had called ‘mom’ looked up at us, her honey eyes meeting mine.   
“Oh, hello, you must be one of Jack’s friends. I’m Karol, Jack and Khat’s mom,” she smiled warmly and I took in her face. She didn’t look anything like Khat or Jack. She had a darker skin complexion and a sharp nose, unlike Khat and Jack. Perhaps they look more like their dad? I thought to myself.   
“Nice to meet you, I’m Sheo,” I stepped forward and stuck my hand out for her to shake. She giggled and took my hand in her own. It was soft and warm, a lot like Jack’s.   
“You’re so polite.” I smiled and stepped away when she released me. “You probably want to see Jack, go ahead, he’s right upstairs.” I smiled my gratitude and waved to both her and Khat as I walked up the stairs to Jack’s room. I hesitantly knocked on Jack’s door. It swung open to reveal the face of another woman. She smiled at me curtly before excusing herself and walking down the stairs. I watched as she went before slowly stepping into Jack’s room. He looked up at me, a lopsided grin spreading on his face.   
“Hey,” he greeted coolly.   
“Hi,” I responded, standing in the doorway awkwardly. He chuckled and stood from his bed, taking my hand and pulling me over to his bed, closing the door with his foot.   
“Wanna play some video games?” he asked as the silence began to grow around us.   
“Sure, but I can’t say I’ll be any good,” I shrugged.   
“Please don’t tell me you’re that cliche person,” he deadpanned.  
“What do you mean?” I questioned.  
“The nerd who doesn’t play video games because he’s too focused on his studies.”   
I snickered to myself, “I play video games, I’m just not that good at them.”   
“Oh, sorry,” he paused for a moment, “What game do you want to play?”  
I thought for a moment, “Call of Duty?” I suggested. Another lopsided smile captured his expression.   
“Heck yeah!” he called as he bounced off his bed to put the game in and hand me a controller. “Zombies or campaign?” he questioned. I hummed for a moment.   
“Let's do zombies,” I decided for us. He made an okay sound and clicked the option for zombies and it took us to the start screen.   
…  
We sat for hours screaming at both the screen and each other as we passed the levels. I made an eek sound as a zombie hit me from behind. I mumbled curses under my breath as I shot in circles to get the zombies that were now surrounding me. I pushed through the horde, leading them to Jack, who had the laser gun. He smirked as he blasted the horde in the head, chuckling evilly as they collapsed in a pile at his feet. I gave him a wide-eyed stare, not noticing as my character was killed. Jack made an odd sound in his throat as he faced the new horde on his own. He soon died as well, leaving our end level on 42. Jack looked to me and I blushed at being caught staring. He playfully punched me in the shoulder   
“You killed us again!” he shouted in exasperation. My stomach growled in response and I blushed deeper. “Let go get snacks before we start up again,” he suggested, pausing the game before it could restart and got up with a stretch. I looked away as his shirt rode up showing off his toned stomach. “Come on,” he prompted. I slowly stood and followed after him to the kitchen. Khat, Karol and the woman that was in Jack’s room sat at a bar like thing that separated the kitchen from the living room.   
“Hungry?” the woman from before asked.   
“Yes, will you please make us a snack mama?” I stared at Jack in shock, wasn’t Karol his mom. She sighed.   
“You need to learn to fend for yourself,” she grumbled as she stood to make a snack.   
“Oh, can I have some too?” Khat asked. The woman turned to glare at Khat for a moment.   
“Do you want some as well, love?” she asked her black eyes falling onto Karol. She smiled and nodded.   
“Oh, Sheo, I didn’t introduce you to my parents, did I?” I shook my head, even though I already met Karol. “Well, that’s my mama Sharon and the one sitting next to Khat is my mom Karol,” I nodded.   
“Sheo and I met when he got her,” Karol said, leaning her head on her palm and watching Jack and I. I looked up at Jack and watched as he took a seat across from Karol, patting the one next to him. There were five bar stools total, two on one side, two on the other, and one in between the two sides. I smiled at Jack as I sat down, waiting for Sharon to finish making the snack.


	8. Chapter 8

A sandwich was placed before me after a bit of time.   
“Thank you so much,” I waited for the others to receive a sandwich and watched Jack take a bite before taking one for myself. “Wow, this is delicious! May I ask what’s in it?” I asked Sharon as she sat on the last bar stool remaining. She looked at me, her black eyes light.   
“Well, it has mozzarella and parmesan cheese, pepperoni, turkey and salami. The bread is toasted on all sides, the inside with mayonnaise and the outside with real butter,” her voice was alight, she clearly enjoyed cooking and talking about cooking.   
“Wow, how did you come up with the recipe?”   
“The kids actually came up with it, they kept tossing meat on the counter and I put it together,” she shrugs.   
“That’s so cool,” I say with a broad smile. “Sorry if this is rude, but are you by chance a chief?” Sharon giggles.   
“I am, yes. How did you know?” she asks with a cocked head, her short auburn hair falling in weird ways across her face.   
“Well, your eyes light up when you talk about cooking and your hair is short, which is always good for someone who spends a lot of time in a kitchen.” she chuckles.   
“Maybe my hair is short because I am a lesbian,” I blush lightly.   
“Sorry, I didn’t want to stereotype you in that way,” I mumble. She smiles and reaches across the table to gently pat my hand.   
“Finish eating dear,” I nod and bring the smile back to my lips, savoring the flavor. I swallow a few bites before turning to Karol.   
“What do you do for a living?” I ask. Her honey eyes meet mine and a warm smile crosses her pink lips.   
“I’m an author,” I gape at her.   
“Really? That’s so cool! What genre do you specialize in?”   
“I write romantic horror,” I smile at her.   
“Were you working on a manuscript when we first met?” she nodded as she took another bite from her sandwich. I follow her lead and take another bite. “How did you two meet?” I ask before a blush comes to my cheeks.   
Noisey boy, stop asking so many questions, you’re being creepy. The voice in my head yells. I begin to play with a hangnail, disappointed in myself for being weird in front of Jack and Khat’s parents. Both Sharon and Karol begin to laugh, smiling at each other.   
“I was working on a story in her restaurant,” Karol began. “I kept trying to get her attention to order but she kept ignoring me. I was furious! When I went to give her a piece of my mind I ran into her and she spilled the food she was carrying all over me and my work. I was shocked, to say the least. Seven months of work trashed. I threatened to go to her manager but she begged me not to. She said she would pay for the computer. I finally agreed. I decided to stay and at least still try to get some food, it was late and the restaurant was getting close to closing time when I finished. Sharon, came back to me and asked if she could take me out to dinner to further apologize. I agreed because she was really cute.” Karol looks lovingly into Sharon’s eyes.   
“I think mama’s side of the story is cuter,” Jack said from beside me, startling me slightly.   
Sharon nods in agreement.   
“What’s your side?” I mentally facepalmed for asking yet another question.   
“Well, I was still new to all the food chain stuff. I was working as an apprentice to the top chief and I was acting as a waitress because we were short-staffed that night. When Karol came in I knew I couldn’t serve her because she was gorgeous. But, I couldn’t find anyone who would cover for me, so I acted immaturely and ignored her, hoping someone else would just do it. As I was walking past, she stood up suddenly, I saw an opportunity and tripped myself, spilling the food. I wanted any reason to see her again, and I figured this was a good way. I offered to pay for a new computer and I made sure her food took longer to cook so she would have to be there until closing, where I could privately ask her to dinner.” Sharon leans over and kisses Karol’s nose, making her go cross-eyed.   
“That’s so cute,” I remark, looking to Jack. surprisingly his eyes were already on me.   
Weird.


	9. Chapter 9

I sighed as my alarm thundered in my ear. I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before getting up and getting ready for church. I smiled at my reflection as I smoothed my marron tie. It seemed like things were finally starting to look up. The smile stayed stuck to my face as I exited my room and entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast for my Father and I. I glided through the steps to make chocolate chip pancakes and delivered them to the table. My Father smiled at me, already dressed in his robes. I set a water glass and a glass of orange juice next to his coffee cup before sitting across from him, waiting for him to begin eating. He cut a bite of the pancake and slowly placed it in his mouth.   
“Very good,” he compliments, I smiled even wider and dug into my breakfast.   
Thirty minutes later I was in Father’s truck, watching the town go by as we made our way to the church. Father walks up to the pew and greets the people who had gotten there early before going over his sermon as he waits for everyone else. I take a seat in the back, dozing off slightly. Someone slides into the seat next to mine, bumping my shoulder and drawing me out of my daydreams.   
“Sorry,” I muttered, beginning to scoot over when a warm hand stops me.   
“Where are you going?” a familiar voice asks. I turn and look into the eyes of Jack. He smiles at my shocked expression.   
“H-hi,” I stutter, a light blush blotting my cheeks.   
“Hey,” he smirks.   
“Hi,” Khat pokes her head over Jack’s shoulder waving at me. I wave back and giggle at the glare Jack shoots at Khat. “If looks could kill I’d be doubled over,” she whispers to herself, making Jack glare harder. “Okay, I’ll leave you two to your flirting,” her head disappears and my blush darkens slightly.   
“Ignore her,” Jack rolls his eyes. “Do you want to go get something to drink before everything starts?” I nod and stand, gesturing for him to take the lead. He nudges past Khat and his parents, taking my hand in his own and pulling me around people and into the lounge. He sighs as he finally gets past the large group of people. I give him a confused look, to which he puffs his cheeks out. I giggle lightly, pressing a hand to my lips. A small smile appeared on his face.   
“You’re so short,” he says, completely out of the blue.   
“I’m not that short!” I defend.   
“You are!” he then proceeds to measure us. I pout at him, crossing my arms over my chest and tapping my foot. “Don’t pout,” he orders, only succeeding in making me pout harder. He chuckles and pokes my cheek.   
“I’m not that short,” I sulk, turning away from him.   
“Okay, how tall are you then?”  
“5’3,” I state proudly. Jack bites his lip, but not fast enough to contain the snigger that escapes. I gape at him and go back to my pouting. He pats my head, a sincerely apologetic look on his face. I release a long breath and glare at Jack. He juts out his lip and his eyes widen in a puppy dog stare. After a few more minutes I sigh, giving up. I don’t think anyone can stay mad at a boy who can give you the kicked puppy look to the max.   
“You’re an ass,” I sigh, turning and trotting towards the water table.   
“Hey,” Jack chases after me, bumping our shoulders when he catches up. “Don’t leave me behind,” he whines.  
“You’re tall, so I should be the one asking you to not leave me behind.” I snark   
“Low blow,”   
“Well yeah, I can’t do a high blow, I’m too short,” I mock, stopping in front of the water table and pouring us each a glass, handing one to him.   
“Well, at least you admit that you’re short,” he takes a sip of his water and I playfully backhand him in the stomach. He hastily swallows his mouthful and begins to cough.   
“Jack,” someone calls from behind me. I slowly turn to find a few members of the football team standing there, trying to get Jack’s attention. Carter strutted towards us, James and Larimer following close behind him.   
“Jack, what’re you doing hanging around this nerd?” James asks, pushing me into the table.   
“We were just talking,” Jack answers once he recovered from his coughing fit.   
“About?” Larimer presses, to which Jack gives him a hard glare.   
“None of your business,” Jack announces, pushing Larimer out of his way as he goes past him. I stay where I am, not wanting to be apart of any conflict that might arise. The three boys stare after Jack as he goes back into the main room of the church. I slowly inch away from the group and slip back into my seat, not alerting anyone near me to my presence. Larimer, Jack, and Carter fallow shortly after me, getting in Jack’s face, pushing him closer to anger.   
“I don’t even like him! He’s a weird little nerd that no one would ever want to be around,” a small gasp leaves my body, making the whole group look to me. I swiftly stand and walk to a seat closer to the pew. I sit with my head bowed, tuning everything out as I wait for it to be over.   
I can’t believe I let myself believe we could’ve been friends.   
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. Of course, he was just faking, no one would ever want to hang around you. No one would ever be interested in you that way. Get over yourself you worthless nobody. I sit in silence as my Father drives us home, too stuck in my own head to start up a conversation.


	10. Chapter 10

The next few days I sulked around the school, avoiding the football team and only speaking to Rourke and Coach Mary. She at least seemed happy I was showing up on time nowadays. It had been about two weeks since the church incident.  
Jack has tried to speak with me three times, all three times I found a way to disappear or be busy.  
Father has punished me five times since then. I’ve brought them upon myself.  
The first was when we got home for not participating in group stuff at the church.  
The second and third was for not showing up to class.  
The fourth was for talking back.  
And the final one was for ‘looking at a woman impurely’. If only he knew I didn’t swing that way. Oh, wait, if he knew that he would disown me. I sighed as I pushed my books in my locker, hissing as the cuts stretched. I could feel them oozing, meaning I would have to change before practice. I sped down the halls, avoiding Rourke as he called out for me and ducked into the locker room. I pulled my shirt from my body and tossed it into my gym locker, sighing as I heard the door to the gym open.  
“Go away, Rourke, I’m already late and I don’t have time to chat,” the door slammed shut, startling me. I spun around, ready to give Rourke a piece of my mind. Instead, I came face to face, or rather, face to chest, with Jack.  
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he stated.  
“I’ve been staying out of your way. I wouldn’t want to cause a drift with your friends,” I remark, turning back around and pulling out a new shirt. A long breath can be heard from behind me before a warm finger touches one of the many bruises on my back. I hiss lowly, shrinking away from the touch.  
“You’re upset about what I said at church two weeks ago,” Jack observes.  
“No shit Sherlock!” I explode, “First you force me over to your house, act all friendly, even going as far as to flirt with me in the church. Then, the second your friends come along I’m nothing but a worthless nerd!” I spin around to glare harshly at Jack, waiting for his response.  
“Yes, I admit what I said back there was wrong, but I didn’t mean it,” he defends.  
“Really? For some reason, I don’t believe that. You’ve hated me ever since middle school when you found out I thought you were cute,” I snap with a roll of my eyes.  
“I never hated you. I was embarrassed,” he mutters.  
“What could you have possibly been embarrassed about? The ugly gay kid thinking you’re attractive? You’re right, that’s so embarrassing for you,” I bite.  
“No, it was embarrassing because I thought you were cute too! But I didn’t, no scratch that, I don’t want anyone to know about that because I’ll be an outcast,” I stare him for a moment, shock stalling my thoughts. I tsk lightly, shaking my head at the absurdity of his statement.  
“Right, am I supposed to-” I’m suddenly cut off by a growl. My mind has stopped working as my body is suddenly slammed into the lockers behind me, Jack’s lips plastered to my own in a brutal kiss. His fingers are running through my hair and I don’t know what to do, my body is frozen, not only from shock but also from pain.  
“Sheo, are you okay? Jack came storming in here and-” Rourke suddenly stops what he is saying. Jack pulls away from me and looks at Rourke, who marches up to him and smacks him in the face.  
“If you hurt my closest friend I will not let you off unscathed,” Jack nods, seeming to please Rourke, who then turns to me. “I hope you know what it is you are doing, do not let him ruin you,” he tips his head in my direction before turning and striding back out of the locker room. I turn back to Jack, unsure of what to say.  
“Come to my house after practice,” he orders quietly, kissing me on the lips once more before leaving me alone in the locker room. I shake my head to clear out the cobwebs, slipping a shirt on and going out to the field to find Coach Mary. She glares at me with pursed lips.  
“I’m sorry for being late, I was in the restroom vomiting,” I lie. A disgusted look crosses her features. “Do you mind if I skip practice tonight and go home to rest?” I ask. She nods and shoos me away, clapping her hands to get the girls attention. They flock around her and I slip away from them, walking in the direction of my house. My thoughts were a mess and I soon found myself standing in front of my empty house. I unlock the door and wander inside and into my room. I lay down on my bed, thinking over what had happened in the locker room. My stomach fluttered at the memory of Jack’s lips on my own and I gently run my fingers over my bottom lip, trying to imitate the warmth of his. I let out a shaky breath as my mind flows to questions of what Jack would say when I got to his house. Would he take back what happened? Would he apologize? Would he laugh in my face? Would he kiss me again? Would he ask me out? I guess only time will tell, but I’m not too sure how much I want it to tell. I release another breath and flip onto my stomach, texting my dad to ask if I could go to a friend’s after practice to help tutor them. It takes a few minutes for him to respond, but he gives the okay. I drop my phone on my bedside table, plugging it in and allowing my eyelids to flutter shut and pull me into sleep as I waited for Khat to call me.


	11. Chapter 11

A large amount of frozen water found itself onto my face. I sputtered as it clogged my nose. I sat up and slammed my head into the metal bucket that must have been holding the frozen water. I hissed in pain and reached for the bruise that was sure to form where we had collided. A soft hand slams against my cheek and the force sends me sprawling off the bed. I let out a few more pathetic coughs and peer over the lip of the bed, my eyes filled with tears. My Father glares down at me, he chucks the bucket at me and it slams square into my face. I fall back onto my ass and don’t bother to get back up.  
“F-Father?” I call softly, wanting to know why I was being punished.  
“You are such a bad boy, Sheo,” he says in a calm, yet clearly disappointed voice. I flinch at the tone and realize why he is angry, I’m supposed to be at practice and then tutoring, not sleeping at home. Father’s footsteps bang against the floor as they approach me. I shiver slightly as he grows closer. A large hand clasps the back of my shirt and pulls me to my feet.  
“Why did you lie to me, Sheo?”  
“I’m sorry, Father, I became ill at practice and was forced to go home, I forgot to text anyone and went right to bed when I got here so I could be well enough to prepare dinner,” I was lying again, but I wasn’t sure Father could tell.  
“Your phone has been going mad, who is texting you so frantically?” Father asks, taking a step away from me. I slowly reach for my phone and slide it unlocked.  
“It’s Khat, the cheerleader, and Jack the football player,” I respond in a quiet and shaky voice.  
“Read me what they wrote,” Father orders. I slowly nod and pull up Khat’s messages.  
“Khat is asking what happened to me at practice, if I still needed a ride, um, if she was still coming by to get me, and why I wasn’t answering,” I read off. Father grunts, but nods, motioning for me to continue. I slowly pull up Jack’s messages and read over them. I clear my throat and begin. “Jack asks what happened, then he asks if I was still avoiding him, he says he’s not sorry, and that he is going to come by to check on me,” I gulp audibly. “I’ll text him and tell him that’s not-” I am interrupted by a sudden and loud rap at my door. “I’m sorry, I’ll tell him to leave,” I move towards the door and am stopped by a hand wrapping around my throat. Gently pressure is added as Father begins to speak.  
“No, I would like to meet this boy, invite him to stay for dinner,” I nod as much as I can with the hand wrapped around my throat. It is released a moment later and I am sent scurrying down the stairs and outside. I am met with Jack’s worried gaze as I throw the door open. I place my hands on his chest and push him further outside before closing the door behind me.  
“Listen to me, my Father wants you to stay for dinner,” I chew my lip about to ask that he doesn’t mention what had happened between us when the door opened. My father stands there with a smile.  
“Hello, you must be Sheo’s friend Jack. I am Father Rhone,” he gives Jack a blinding smile as he offers the boy his hand. Jack smiles back and takes his hand.  
“It’s very nice to meet you, sir,”  
“Please, call me Father,” Jack nods and my Father leads him inside. I am left staring at the spot Jack had been moments before. Soon enough a voice is pulling me from my trance, dark and dangerous.  
“Come on, Sheo, you don’t want to keep your friend waiting, do you?” I shake my head and turn to enter the house. I follow my Father to the kitchen and give a small smile to Jack.  
“What are you making for dinner, Sheo?” Father asks, standing a little too close for comfort.  
“I was thinking I could make chicken cordon bleu,” Father nods, a large smile erupting on his face. He moves to the table, sitting across from Jack.  
“May I get either of you a drink?” I ask softly.  
“I’ll have a glass of wine and a glass of water, Sheo,” I nod and look to Jack.  
“Oh, um, water is fine, thank you,” I smile at Jack and move to get their drinks. I return first with the glasses, then I fill both water glasses, and finally Father’s wine glass. Father waves me off and I move to the kitchen to begin preparing for dinner. Once everything is in the oven I take a seat at the table. I clear my throat and look at Jack.  
“I apologize, if I had known you were coming we would have prepared better,” My Father says softly, bowing his head slightly.  
“Oh, it’s okay, I just hope I’m not inconveniencing you at all,”  
“Oh, not at all. It’s always a pleasure to serve guests. And I so rarely get to meet Sheo’s friends,” Jack nods and takes a sip of his water.  
“So, um, Sheo, what happened to you today?”  
“I became ill at practice and I was sent home early. I’m sorry I didn’t inform you I would have to cancel our tutoring session,” Jack gives me an odd, look about to correct me when he sees the look on my face.  
“It’s okay, I totally understand. But I was hoping you would help me study for that big test coming up in math?”  
“I already said I would,” I say with a small smile. Jack nods. We continue with our small talk until a beep from the kitchen has me on my feet again. I wander into the other room and pull the chicken, cutting mine in half to make sure it was fully cooked. I pull the toothpicks and plate the chicken with a bit of vegetables I had put around the chicken so they could soak up the juices. I grab three forks and place them with napkins first. The Jack and Father’s food, and finally my own. I sit and watch My Father. He takes a bite, hums, and nods slightly. We eat in relative silence for a few moments before Father begins to speak again.  
“So, I don’t believe I’ve seen your father in church for a while. Just your mother, her friend, and your sister,”  
Jack stiffens slightly.  
“My dad is in jail for domestic abuse. My mother has actually been remarried to the woman you called her friend,”  
“Oh,” Father says softly. He clears his throat. “And they are aware of their sins?”  
“Excuse me?”  
“It is against the bible to sleep with someone of the same gender. Though, I suppose your mother’s transgressions cannot be reflected upon you, right?” Father laughs heartily. Jack look furious.  
“How can it be so wrong to love someone? What kind of God is against love?” he asks angrily. My Father gives him a look, about to go into full lecture mode. He closes his eyes and lets out a long breath.  
“This Sunday we will discuss it in mass. Though, it is a wonder that being witness to that hasn’t corrupted you more than questioning your God,”  
“Corrupted me? Do you mean made me gay? Because I’m bisexual,” Father’s jaw drops. He stands and shakes his head.  
“Man is only to sleep with women as to continue to populate our earth. Not only have you disrespected my bible, but you have disrespected my God. Please leave and do not return until you have repented your sins. You are not to contact my son for you may taint him with your filth,” Jack stands so abruptly his chair tips over. He glares at My Father for a moment before his eyes trail to mine. He gives me a pitty filled look and storms out.  
“Go to your room, Sheo. We will be having a very firm talk when I get home tonight. You are very lucky I have confession tonight,” Father stands and moves up to his room. I make a small sound and run off to my room, being gentle when I close the door, fear of what was to happen tying my stomach in knots.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a shorter chapter than normal and that's because I'm planning the next one to be longer and more in-depth of what happened to Sheo. So, for now, enjoy some depressing gay shit and I will be hard at work at more depressing gay shit for you to hold onto.

I was currently cowering in the closet, counting out the seconds in my head while I wait for Father to come home and deal out my punishment. I could hear his car pull into the drive, his footsteps echoing up the stairs, and the door slam against the wall. I flinch and squeeze my eyes shut tightly, tears running down my cheeks in thick rivulets.  
“Sheo, there is no point in hiding. Come out and face your punishment like a man,” I gulp in a breath before slowly sliding the closet door open and crawling out, my head bowed low. I stop before Father’s feet and wait.

Jack’s POV  
I had a bad feeling from the moment I left Sheo’s home. If it was his father who had been beating him, who knew how my angry outburst would harm Sheo. The feeling only got worse the longer Sheo didn’t show. It has been two and a half months and Sheo just walked into our shared algebra class. He hands the teacher a rather large stack of papers. They share a few words I can not hear before Sheo turns to find a seat. My eyes track him as he passes me and moves to the seat at the very back of the class. He is silent, his head down, taking notes furiously. I wait impatiently for the bell to ring, the shrill tone startling me when it finally rings. I stand to approach Sheo, but he flies past me, hunched in on himself, and not looking where he’s going. I’m shocked still and very slowly sit back down. I am frozen to the seat for a few minutes longer before loud voices stir me from my trance.  
“Come on! The loser’s back! Let’s have some fun,” I stand and follow the others of the football team into the hall. Larimer already had Sheo pinned to the wall. He looked horrible, worse than normal. His light brown hair was so greasy it looked black and his eyes were so dull, lifeless, with bags so dark they looked like bruises. Hell, for all I knew they were bruises. Sheo didn’t look at any of use, just continued to stare ahead blankly. He didn’t make any sarcastic quips at Larimer, even as the jock taunted and thrashed the boy. I lay a palm on Larimer’s shoulder and gently push. He gives me a confused look before letting go and stepping back. I gently grip Sheo’s hollowed cheeks and force his face up. His empty eyes find mine and a shiver creeps down my spine. He lets out a soft puff of air and his eyes fall closed, a single tear sliding down his cheek. I gasp and pull the boy to my chest. For a moment he is limp in my grasp before he shoves me off, causing me to land on my ass. He peers down at me for a moment before silently walking off. I watch, my heart breaking for the boy. 

Sheo’s POV  
Everyone is staring at me, and for once, I don’t care. I don’t care about anything anymore. I spent so long in solitude, only seeing Father’s face or fist, that I have grown weary of this world. There is no point any longer. I have no friends and no one who loves me, so why keep going? My eyes drift over each face and item as I pass, trying to remember their use, maybe they have no use, like me. A voice calls out behind me, followed by heavy footsteps. Someone grabs my wrist and I stop. They move in front of me and grip my shoulders. I look down into worried eyes.  
“Sheo! Where the hell have you been?” this is the first time in a very long time I’ve heard Rourke speak like a normal person. I shrug and his hands fall from my shoulders. He makes a soft sound.  
“Your father said you had to be put in a mental institution, what happened?” I flinch as I’m thrown back into one of the earlier memories of the basement.  
Father had come back downstairs, extremely agitated.  
‘Why did you have to go out and make friends, Sheo? Now they have to pretend to care about you and I have to lie to them. Do you know it’s a sin to lie, Sheo?’ Father watches me for an answer. By this point, my voice has given up on me and I nod pathetically. Father’s hand slams into my temple. The world spins and something warm oozes down the side of my face. Father rears up and does it again, finally knocking me into blissful sleep.  
“You don’t really care, Rourke, just go back to your perfect little life,” I can see anger reach Rourke’s eyes. He shakes his head and gives me an offended look.  
“I will, thank you Sheo. Glad to have you back,” Rourke turns on a heel and moves to leave. There’s a part of me that wants so badly to reach out for him. To cry in his arms and tell him everything. But Father’s voice reminds me he won’t care, no one will. I drop my head and shuffle to my next class.


End file.
